JP7420931B2 - Assistive device - Google Patents

Description

The present specification relates to an assistance device that includes an armpit support section that supports the armpits of a person being assisted.

With the advancement of an aging society, the need for assistive devices is increasing. An assistance device generally assists the person being helped with various movements by driving a support member that supports a part of the person's body. An assistance device that assists a person being assisted in standing up or sitting down must include a pair of armpit support sections that support the left and right sides of the person being assisted, and a body support section that supports the upper body of the person being assisted. There are many. The introduction of the assistance device reduces the physical burden on the caregiver and the person being assisted, and also alleviates the shortage of caregivers. A technical example of this type of assistance device is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

The assistance device of Patent Document 1 includes a base, an armpit support section that supports the left and right armpits of a care recipient and is movable relative to the base, and a drive section that drives the armpit support section. . The armpit support portion includes a core member and an outer peripheral member that is rotatably provided with respect to the core member and contacts the torso of the person being cared for. According to this, the outer peripheral member can rotate relative to the core member while following changes in the posture of the person being assisted. Therefore, the frictional force generated between the person to be assisted and the armpit support portion is damped and suppressed, and a comfortable feeling of use for the person to be assisted is realized.

International Publication No. 2018/179294

Incidentally, the assistance device of Patent Document 1 is preferable in that the outer circumferential member rotates with respect to the core member, thereby reducing pain caused by frictional force on the flank of the person to be assisted. However, if the outer circumferential member is configured to rotate infinitely, the force of the armpit support section to hold the person being assisted escapes, and the armpit support section cannot fulfill its original role. For this reason, the amount of rotation of the outer peripheral member is limited, and as a result, there is a limit to the reduction of pain caused by frictional force. Further, the armpit support portion may support a load equivalent to half or more of the body weight of the person being assisted. In this case, the person being assisted may feel pain due to the strong feeling of pressure caused by the armpit support section pushing up both armpits.

Furthermore, some assistance devices swing or move the pair of armpit supports toward each other in response to a downward load acting on the pair of armpit supports, so that they can reliably support the person being assisted. This configuration is also adopted. In this configuration, the person being cared for may feel pain due to the pressure exerted by the left and right side support portions pinching the side abdomen. This pain tends to be more noticeable in large-sized care recipients.

Therefore, in this specification, the problem to be solved is to provide an assistance device that reduces the pain of the person being assisted and provides a comfortable feeling of use.

The present specification includes a base, a pair of armpit support parts that respectively support left and right armpits of a person being cared for, and a drive part that moves the pair of armpit support parts at least in the vertical direction with respect to the base. , the armpit support part has a normal surface part that contacts at least the armpit and upper arm of the person being assisted, and a friction coefficient smaller than that of the normal surface part, an assistive device having a friction-reducing surface that contacts the side of a person.

According to this, the portion of the surface of the armpit support portion that comes into contact with the flank of the care recipient becomes a friction reducing surface portion. Therefore, the pain of the person being assisted due to the frictional force is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to provide an assistance device that is comfortable to use.

Further, the present specification includes a base, a pair of armpit support parts that respectively support left and right armpits of a care recipient, and a drive that moves the pair of armpit support parts at least in the vertical direction with respect to the base. The armpit support part includes a core member, and an outer peripheral member that is elastically deformable while covering the core member, and in which the core member is disposed below the center of the armpit support part. Disclosed is an assistance device having the following.

According to this, it is possible to increase the thickness of the upper side of the outer circumferential member constituting the armpit support part than in the past, thereby suppressing the occurrence of a feeling of pressure that pushes up the armpit. Therefore, the pain of the person being assisted is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to provide an assistance device that is comfortable to use.

Furthermore, this specification provides a base, a pair of armpit support parts that respectively support the left and right sides of the care recipient and are swingable or movable in directions toward or away from each other, and the base as a reference. Discloses an assistance device comprising: a drive unit that moves the pair of armpit supports at least in the vertical direction; and a restriction mechanism that limits the swing range or movement range of the pair of armpit supports in the direction in which the armpit supports approach each other. do.

According to this, the closest distance when the pair of side support parts approach each other is limited. Therefore, the compressive force that pinches the side of the person to be cared for from both sides is suppressed, and the pain of the person to be cared for is alleviated. Therefore, it is possible to provide an assistance device that is comfortable to use.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the overall configuration of the assisting device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a rear view of a support member including a torso support section and an armpit support section. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the armpit support section taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2; It is a figure explaining the operation of the assistance device of a 1st embodiment. FIG. 7 is a view of the rear part of the armpit support part of the second embodiment seen from the rear. It is a figure explaining the effect|action of the assistance device of 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a restriction belt and an adjustment buckle, which are one form of a restriction mechanism and an adjustment section, in an assisting device according to a third embodiment. It is a figure explaining the function of a restriction belt and an adjustment buckle. It is a figure explaining the operation of the assistance device of a 3rd embodiment. It is a figure showing typically a restriction mechanism and an adjustment part of an assistance device of a 4th embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an armpit support assist mechanism that can be added to each embodiment.

1. Overall configuration of the assistance device 1 of the first embodiment The overall configuration of the assistance device 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. As shown by the arrows in the upper right corner of FIG. 1, the upper and lower sides of the assisting device 1 are determined. The assistance device 1 is used for transferring between two different locations, such as transferring a person being assisted between a bed and a wheelchair, or transferring between a wheelchair and a toilet seat. The assistance device 1 supports the upper body of the person to be assisted, and assists the person being assisted in standing up from a sitting position to a standing position and sitting down from a standing position to a sitting position.

Here, the standing posture refers to a posture in which the buttocks are lifted off the seat surface and the legs are stretched, and includes a standing posture and a half-waisted posture. In other words, the standing posture includes a standing posture in which the upper body is generally upright, a posture in which the upper body is bent forward and half-slouched at the waist, and the like. The assistance device 1 is also used for a purpose in which a person to be assisted gets on board and moves when two places to be transferred are far apart. For example, the assistance device 1 is used to move a person being assisted from a living room to a restroom, dining room, or the like. The assistance device 1 includes a base 2, an arm member 3, a support member 6 including an upper body support section 4 and an armpit support section 5, an actuator 7, a control section (not shown), and the like.

The base 2 is a part on which the person being assisted gets on. The arm member 3 and the actuator 7 are assembled to the base 2. The base 2 is formed of a foot plate 20, a pair of left and right pipe frames 21, a pair of left and right assembly frames 22, and the like. The foot plate 20 is formed of a plate material made of metal or resin, and extends horizontally at a position slightly higher than the floor surface F. The left and right edges of the foot plate 20 are bent downward. The foot plate 20 is a member on which the person being assisted places his or her feet.

The pipe frame 21 is formed by bending a metal pipe. A pair of left and right pipe frames 21 are attached to the lower side of the foot plate 20 and extend forward. The front portion 211 of each pipe frame 21 is bent upward in front of the foot plate 20. An upright plate-shaped assembly frame 22 is provided on the front side of the front portion 211 of the pair of pipe frames 21, respectively.

Swing support seats 29 are provided on the upper portions of the pair of left and right assembly frames 22, respectively. Front wheels 25 are provided below the pair of assembly frames 22, respectively. Position adjustment parts 281 are provided at the upper ends of the front parts 211 of the pipe frames 21, respectively. The position adjustment unit 281 is a manual adjustment mechanism by which a caregiver or the like adjusts the position of the knee pad member 28 in the front-rear direction according to the physique of the person being assisted.

The knee rest member 28 is located above the foot plate 20, and is a part against which the knee of the person being assisted comes into contact. The knee pad member 28 determines the position of the knees, thereby stabilizing the standing and sitting movements of the person being assisted. The knee pad member 28 is formed of a base plate 282, a knee pad main body 283, two support rods 284, and the like. The base plate 282 is formed using a metal plate material so as to extend in the left-right direction, and is arranged slightly tilted forward with respect to the vertical direction. The knee pad main body 283 is formed of elastically deformable urethane foam or the like, and is attached to the rear side of the base plate 282. The two support rods 284 are formed using metal bars, and connect the base plate 282 to the left and right position adjustment parts 281.

An actuator support member 23 is provided at a position near the front of the foot plate 20. Middle wheels 26 are provided on both left and right sides of the front lower surface of the foot plate 20, respectively. Rear wheels 27 are provided on both left and right sides of the lower surface of the rear end portion of the foot plate 20, respectively. The middle wheel 26 and the rear wheel 27 have a smaller diameter than the front wheel 25. The front wheel 25, the middle wheel 26, and the rear wheel 27 have a steering function. Therefore, the assistance device 1 is capable of not only straight movement and turning movement, but also lateral movement and superposition turning. Further, the front wheel 25 has a locking function to restrict movement of the assistance device 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the arm member 3 is bent in the middle when viewed from the side. A pair of left and right swing shafts 31 are provided near the bottom of the arm member 3 . The pair of swing shafts 31 are swingably supported by swing support seats 29 of the assembly frame 22, respectively. In order to restrict the swing angle range of the arm member 3, an unillustrated stopper mechanism is provided near the swing support seat 29. Thereby, the arm member 3 can swing relative to the base 2 in the up-front direction and the down-back direction. The arm member 3 swings upward and forward when the person being assisted stands up (clockwise swing in FIG. 1). Furthermore, the arm member 3 swings in the downward and rearward direction when the person being assisted is seated.

A battery and a link mechanism (not shown) are housed inside the arm member 3. The battery serves as a power source for the actuator 7 and the control section. A swing support section (not shown) is provided on the rear side of the upper part of the arm member 3, and a swing member 32 is provided on the swing support section. The swinging member 32 swings relative to the arm member 3. However, in the initial state before the person being assisted contacts the support member 6, the swinging member 32 is regulated by the link mechanism and does not swing. The applicant of this application has disclosed a detailed configuration example of the link mechanism in International Publication No. 2018/167856.

The swinging member 32 has a base plate 33 on the rear side. The base plate 33 is formed using a highly rigid plate material made of metal or resin. The base plate 33 has a handle 34 on the front side. The handle 34 is formed in a generally rectangular frame shape and extends above the arm member 3. The handle 34 is a part that is gripped by the person being assisted, and is also a part that is gripped by the caregiver in order to move the assistance device 1 .

The support member 6 is provided on the rear side of the base plate 33. The support member 6 includes an upper body support part 4 and a pair of armpit support parts 5. The upper body support part 4 is attached to the rear surface of the base plate 33. The upper body support part 4 is formed by laminating a hard buffer member 41 and a soft buffer member 42. The upper body support section 4 supports the upper body of the person being assisted, mainly from the chest to the abdomen.

The pair of armpit support parts 5 are attached to the left and right sides of the base plate 33 and are arranged on both left and right sides of the upper body support part 4. The side support portion 5 is formed into an L-shape bent at an obtuse angle. The upper part of the armpit support part 5 that stands up above the bent part comes into contact with the shoulder of the person being assisted. The inclined straight portion below the bent portion of the armpit support portion 5 enters the armpit of the care recipient and supports the upper body. When the person being assisted stands up, the armpit support portion 5 plays a role of lifting the person being assisted. The detailed configuration of the side support portion 5 will be described later.

The actuator 7 is an embodiment of a drive unit that moves the pair of side support parts 5 at least in the vertical direction with the base 2 as a reference. The actuator 7 is a linear actuator that expands and contracts, and is formed by a main body portion 71, a movable portion 72, a motor 73, and the like. The main body portion 71 is a cylindrical member with a large diameter that is vertically long and has an opening at the top. The lower end of the main body portion 71 is supported by the actuator support member 23 of the base 2 . The movable part 72 is a vertically long, thin round bar-shaped member. The upper end of the movable part 72 is connected to the link mechanism of the arm member 3. The lower part of the movable part 72 is fitted into the opening of the main body part 71.

The motor 73 is attached to the lower front side of the main body portion 71 . The motor 73 is controlled by the control section to switch the current direction, and drives the movable section 72 to extend and contract. Thereby, the movable part 72 expands and contracts with respect to the main body part 71. The actuator 7 performs a first extension operation of extending from the minimum length to a predetermined intermediate length, and a second extension operation of extending from the intermediate length to the maximum length.

By the first extension motion of the actuator 7, the support member 6 is driven via the link mechanism and swings upward and forward. By the second extension operation of the actuator 7, the arm member 3 is driven via the link mechanism and swings in the upward and forward direction. In this way, the support member 6 moves upward with respect to the base 2 and also moves forward. Thereby, the assistance device 1 assists the person to be assisted in standing up. Further, due to the contraction operation of the actuator 7, the support member 6 moves downward and also moves backward. Thereby, the assistance device 1 assists the person to be assisted in sitting.

The control section (not shown) includes an operating device, a control main body section, and the like. The operating device has a rise button and a fall button for operating the actuator 7. The operating device is operated by a caregiver. The control main unit is a computer device that has a CPU and operates using software. The control main body controls the current flowing through the actuator 7 according to operation information of the up button and the down button. This controls the operation and stopping of the actuator 7, as well as switching between an extension operation and a contraction operation.

2. Detailed configuration and operation of the armpit support portion 5 Next, the detailed configuration and operation of the armpit support portion 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the armpit support portion 5 includes a core member 51, an outer peripheral member 52, a normal cover member 53, and a friction reducing cover member 54. The core member 51 is formed by, for example, a round bar or pipe made of metal or hard resin bent into an L-shape. The upper part of the core member 51 above the bending part and the straight part below the bending part correspond to the upper part and the straight part of the armpit support part 5. The core member 51 has sufficient mechanical strength to support the weight of the person being assisted.

The outer peripheral member 52 is formed into a thick cylindrical shape that covers at least the outer periphery of the lower straight portion of the core member 51 using an elastically deformable cushioning material. As the material of the cushioning material forming the outer peripheral member 52, sponge rubber made from ethylene propylene rubber can be exemplified. The outer circumferential member 52 made of a cushioning material is easily compressed and deformed by the load applied by the person being assisted. The outer peripheral member 52 may be restrained by adhesion to the core member 51 or may be rotatable within a predetermined angular range with respect to the core member 51.

Usually, the cover member 53 is formed using synthetic leather, for example. Usually, the cover member 53 is formed in a cylindrical shape to cover the outer periphery of the outer peripheral member 52. Typically, the cover member 53 is bonded to the outer circumferential member 52 and is deformable together with the outer circumferential member 52 . Normally, the cover member 53 may cover the lower and rear end surfaces of the core member 51 and the outer peripheral member 52.

The friction-reducing cover member 54 is formed using a substantially rectangular synthetic resin sheet, for example, a polypropylene sheet. As shown in FIG. 3, the friction reducing cover member 54 extends from the upper side of the pair of side support parts 5 to the lower side via the opposing inner sides. Friction-reducing cover member 54 is typically glued or sewn onto the outer surface of cover member 53 .

According to the above configuration, the friction reducing cover member 54 comes into contact with the flank of the person being assisted. Further, the cover member 53 normally contacts at least the armpit and upper arm of the person being assisted. Here, the surface of the normal cover member 53 is relatively rough compared to the friction reducing cover member 54, and has a relatively large coefficient of friction. Conversely, the surface of friction-reducing cover member 54 is relatively smooth and has a relatively small coefficient of friction. Therefore, the normal cover member 53 constitutes a normal surface portion that contacts at least the armpit and upper arm of the person being assisted. Further, the friction-reducing cover member 54 constitutes a friction-reducing surface portion that has a smaller coefficient of friction than the normal surface portion and contacts the flank of the person being cared for.

In the initial state of the person being assisted H standing up as shown in FIG. 4, the armpit support portion 5 is located between the flank and upper arm below the armpit of the person being assisted H. When the assistance device 1 starts assisting the person to stand up, the armpit support portion 5 moves upward and lifts the person being assisted H. At this time, the armpit support part 5 rises while contacting the flank, and a frictional force F1 is generated. Due to this frictional force F1, the outer peripheral member 52 is twisted and deformed in the rotational direction R1 (see FIG. 3) in which the friction reducing cover member 54 descends, and is also compressively deformed. Further, a frictional force F1 in a sliding direction acts on the flank of the person being assisted H. Even so, since it is the friction-reducing cover member 54 (friction-reducing surface portion) that contacts the flank, the generated friction force F1 is reduced.

On the other hand, the cover member 53 normally comes into contact with the armpit and upper arm of the person being assisted H with appropriate surface pressure and frictional force, so that the force to hold the person being assisted H is ensured. Therefore, the armpit support section 5 can stably hold the person being assisted. If the normal cover member 53 is not used and the entire circumference of the outer peripheral member 52 is covered with the friction-reducing cover member 54, the side abdomen and upper arm may slide excessively, and the posture of the person being assisted H may become unstable. arise.

According to the assistance device 1 of the first embodiment, the portion of the surface of the armpit support portion 5 that comes into contact with the flank of the person to be assisted H becomes the friction-reducing cover member 54 (friction-reducing surface portion). Therefore, the pain of the person being assisted H caused by the frictional force F1 is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to provide the assistance device 1 that is comfortable to use.

Note that the combination of materials for the normal cover member 53 and the friction-reducing cover member 54 is not limited to the above-described example, and may be a combination of other materials. Furthermore, the friction-reducing cover member 54 does not have a two-layer structure in which it is normally disposed on the outer surface of the cover member 53, but may have a single-layer structure in which it is disposed in a substantially rectangular notch formed in the cover member 53. Furthermore, the normal cover member 53 may be omitted and the friction reducing cover member 54 may be directly adhered to a part of the outer surface of the outer peripheral member 52. In this case, the friction coefficient of the surface of the friction reducing cover member 54 is set smaller than the friction coefficient of the outer surface of the outer peripheral member 52.

3. Armpit support part 5A of assistance device 1 of the second embodiment
Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the assistance device 1 according to the second embodiment will be mainly described in terms of its differences from the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the configuration other than the side support portion 5A is the same as the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the armpit support portion 5A of the second embodiment includes a core member 51, an intermediate member 55, and an outer peripheral member 52.

The core member 51 is formed using a round bar or pipe made of metal or hard resin. The intermediate member 55 is formed into a thick cylindrical shape that covers the outer periphery of the core member 51 using a material that is harder than the outer circumferential member 52 but can be elastically deformed, such as harder sponge rubber. The outer peripheral member 52 is formed using a cushioning material in a shape that covers the upper side of the outer periphery of the intermediate member 55 and does not cover the lower side. Note that the intermediate member 55 may be formed of the same material as the outer circumferential member 52, or may be formed integrally with the outer circumferential member 52. Further, the inner side of the armpit support portion 5A that contacts the flank and the outer side do not need to have a symmetrical structure.

In the second embodiment, the intermediate member 55 is a part of the outer peripheral member 52 that can be elastically deformed while covering the core member 51. According to this, the core member 51 is arranged below the center of the outer peripheral member 52 including the intermediate member 55. Further, the upper thickness D1 of the outer peripheral member 52 including the intermediate member 55 is larger than the lower thickness D2. Furthermore, the thickness D1 of the upper side is set larger than that of a conventional armpit support portion having a substantially rotationally symmetrical cross section.

In a state in which the person being assisted H is standing up as shown in FIG. 6, a load W1 due to the body weight of the person being assisted H acts on the armpit support portion 5A. As this reaction force, the armpit support section 5A pushes up the armpits of the person being assisted H, so the person being assisted H feels a feeling of pressure in the armpits. Even so, since the thickness D1 of the upper side of the outer circumferential member 52 including the intermediate member 55 is large, a larger deformation than before occurs and the feeling of pressure is suppressed.

According to the assisting device 1 of the second embodiment, the thickness D1 of the upper side of the outer circumferential member 52 constituting the armpit support portion 5A is made larger than before, thereby suppressing the occurrence of a feeling of pressure that pushes up the armpit. Therefore, the pain of the person being assisted H is alleviated. Therefore, it is possible to provide the assistance device 1 that is comfortable to use.

Note that the thickness of the outer peripheral member 52 including the intermediate member 55 is not uniformly increased over the entire circumference, but the upper thickness D1 is increased and the lower thickness D2 is decreased. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the side support portion 5A from increasing in size. In addition, by reducing the thickness D2 of the lower side, a wide space can be secured between the armpit support part 5A and the floor surface F, making it easier for a wheelchair to enter. Thereby, the person being assisted H can easily transfer from the wheelchair to the foot plate 20, improving the comfort of use.

Moreover, the intermediate member 55 can be made of a solid material that does not undergo elastic deformation and can be a part of the core member 51. In this modification, the outer peripheral member 52 covers the upper side of the core member 51 including the intermediate member 55, but does not cover the lower side. However, the upper thickness D3 of the outer circumferential member 52 is set larger than that of the conventional armpit support portion.

4. Assistance device 1 of the third embodiment
Next, with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9, the assistance device 1 of the third embodiment will be mainly described in terms of its differences from the first and second embodiments. The assistance device 1 of the third embodiment includes, in addition to a base 2, an arm member 3, a support member 6 including an upper body support part 4 and an armpit support part 5B, an actuator 7, and a control part (not shown), a restriction belt 81 and a control part (not shown). An adjustment buckle 83 is provided. In FIG. 8, the upper body support part 4 and the outer peripheral member 52 are not shown.

As shown in FIG. 8, the core member 51 constituting the armpit support portion 5B has a mounting plate 56 inside the upright front portion. The mounting plate 56 is arranged close to the rear surface of the base plate 33. A predetermined position 57 is set approximately at the center of the mounting plate 56. The predetermined position 57 is swingably supported by the base plate 33. As a result, the pair of core members 51 and the side support portions 5B can swing in a direction toward each other with the predetermined position 57 as the center of swing, as shown by arrow M1. Further, a limit position 58 is set at a position near the core member 51 on the lower edge of the mounting plate 56.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a fixed point position 82 is set at the center of the upper part of the handle 34, which has a generally rectangular frame shape. The restriction belt 81 connects the restriction position 58 of one side support part 5B and the restriction position 58 of the other side support part 5B, and is slidably folded back at a fixed point position 82. The restriction belt 81 can be expanded and contracted in the width direction, but not in the length direction. Note that since the handle 34 moves and swings integrally with the side support portion 5B, the positional relationship shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is always maintained.

The restriction belt 81 restricts the left and right restriction positions 58 in a tensioned state, thereby restricting the swing range of the attachment plate 56 and the core member 51. This limits the swing range of the armpit support portion 5B. That is, the restriction belt 81 has a function of restricting the closest distance when the pair of armpit support portions 5B approach each other. Further, the restriction belt 81 only loosens in the direction in which the pair of armpit support portions 5B are separated from each other, and does not have a restriction function. The restriction belt 81 is one form of a restriction mechanism that restricts the swing range or movement range in the direction in which the pair of side support portions 5B approach each other.

An adjustment buckle 83 is inserted between one limit position 58 and a fixed point position 82 of the limit belt 81 . The adjustment buckle 83 has the function of adjusting the length of the restriction belt 81. A caregiver or the like operates the adjustment buckle 83 to adjust the length of the restriction belt 81 according to the physique of the person being helped. The adjustment buckle 83 is a form of an adjustment section that adjusts the swing range or movement range limited by the restriction mechanism (restriction belt 81) according to the physique of the person being assisted.

In the initial state of the standing up movement of the person being assisted H shown in FIG. 9, the armpit support portion 5B is located between the side abdomen and the upper arm below the armpit of the person being assisted H. At this time, the pair of armpit support portions 5B sandwich the flanks of the person being assisted H from both sides, so that a compressive force F2 is generated. Even so, since the limit belt 81 limits the closest distance between the pair of armpit support parts 5B, the pressing force F2 is reduced.

Further, when the person being assisted H is small in stature, the caregiver or the like adjusts the restriction belt 81 to be longer, and sets the closest distance between the pair of armpit support portions 5B to be shorter. On the other hand, when the person being assisted H is large in stature, the caregiver or the like adjusts the restriction belt 81 to be shorter and sets the closest distance between the pair of armpit support portions 5B to be larger. According to this, by adjusting the length of the restriction belt 81, the closest distance between the pair of armpit support parts 5B can be adapted to the physique of the person being assisted H, and the compressive force F2 can be appropriately reduced at any time. effect occurs.

According to the assistance device 1 of the third embodiment, the closest distance when the pair of armpit support parts 5B approach each other is limited. Therefore, the compressive force F2 that pinches the flank of the person being assisted H from both sides is suppressed, and the pain of the person being assisted H is alleviated. Therefore, it is possible to provide the assistance device 1 that is comfortable to use.

Note that a pair of left and right restriction belts may be used that separately connect the restriction positions 58 of the left and right armpit support portions 5B and the fixed point positions 82. In this embodiment, an adjustment buckle 83 is provided on each of the pair of restriction belts. Furthermore, the adjustment buckle 83 can be omitted. Furthermore, the pair of side support portions 5B may be movable toward or away from each other while maintaining a parallel state, instead of swinging. In this aspect, a limiting mechanism that replaces the limiting belt 81 limits the range of movement in the direction in which the pair of side support portions 5B approach each other.

5. Assistance device 1 of the fourth embodiment
Next, with reference to FIG. 10, the assistance device 1 of the fourth embodiment will be mainly described in terms of its differences from the first to third embodiments. In FIG. 10, the upper body support portion 4 and the outer peripheral member 52 are not shown. The assisting device 1 of the fourth embodiment has a core member 51 and an armpit support part 5B that swing like the third embodiment, and includes a restriction mechanism and an adjustment part that are different from the third embodiment. The restriction mechanism includes a pair of restriction pins 86 and a restriction rod 87. A rod position adjustment section 88 is provided as an adjustment section.

The pair of restriction pins 86 are provided at positions close to the core member 51 near the lower edges of the left and right mounting plates 56, instead of the restriction positions 58 of the third embodiment. The restriction rod 87 is provided across the rear surfaces of the left and right mounting plates 56 and is disposed below the restriction pin 86. While the side support portion 5B and the core member 51 are swinging in the direction M1 toward each other, the restriction pin 86 comes into contact with the upper surface of the restriction rod 87, and the swinging is restricted.

The center portion of the restriction rod 87 in the left-right direction is supported by a rod position adjustment portion 88 and is slidable in the vertical direction. The rod position adjustment section 88 is provided to penetrate the base plate 33. The rod position adjustment section 88 has a function of adjusting the position of the restriction rod 87 in the vertical direction. An assistant or the like can adjust the vertical position of the restriction rod 87 by operating the rod position adjustment section 88 from the front side of the base plate 33, as shown by arrow M2.

Specifically, when the person to be assisted is small in stature, the caregiver or the like adjusts the position of the restriction rod 87 to be lower, and sets the closest distance between the pair of armpit support portions 5B to be smaller. On the other hand, when the person to be cared for is large in stature, the caregiver or the like adjusts the position of the restriction rod 87 to be higher, and sets the closest distance between the pair of armpit support parts 5B to be larger. According to this, as in the third embodiment, the closest distance between the pair of armpit support parts 5B can be adapted to the physique of the person being assisted, and the effect of reducing the compressive force can be produced at any time.

6. Side support assist mechanism 9
Next, the armpit support assist mechanism 9 that can be added to the assistance device 1 of the first to fourth embodiments will be described with reference to FIG. 11. The armpit support assist mechanism 9 is provided on the front or rear surface of the base plate 33. As shown in FIG. 11, the armpit support assist mechanism 9 mutually supports the pair of armpit supports 5B (5, 5A) in response to the downward load W2 acting on the pair of armpit supports 5B (5, 5A). Swing or move in the approaching direction M3. According to this, when the person to be assisted leans on the pair of armpit supports 5B (5, 5A), the pair of armpit supports 5B (5, 5A) approach each other to ensure that the assisted person support.

The applicant of this application has disclosed an example of a mechanism applicable to the armpit support assist mechanism 9 in International Publication No. 2015/011838, which is named a holding position adjustment mechanism. Further, in the aspect in which the armpit support assist mechanism 9 is added to the assistance device 1 of the third embodiment, there is an effect of suppressing the left-right imbalance in the posture of the person being assisted. To explain in detail, when the person being assisted leans on one of the armpit support sections 5B, the armpit support section 5B swings, but the restriction belt 81 is stretched and tension is generated. Thereby, the swing range of one armpit support part 5B is restricted, and imbalance with the other armpit support part 5B is suppressed. As a result, the assistance device 1 can suppress the left-right imbalance in the posture of the person being assisted.

7. Modifications and Applications of Embodiments Note that the first embodiment and the second embodiment can be implemented in combination. Moreover, the first and second embodiments can be combined with the third or fourth embodiment. In other words, the assistance device 1 of the first and second embodiments may include the restriction mechanism and adjustment section described in the third or fourth embodiment. In addition, the first to fourth embodiments can be modified and applied in various ways.

1: Assistance device 2: Base 20: Foot plate 21: Pipe frame 22: Assembly frame 3: Arm member 33: Base plate 34: Handle 4: Upper body support portion 5, 5A, 5B: Side support portion 51: Core member 52 : Peripheral member 53: Normal cover member 54: Friction reduction cover member 55: Intermediate member 56: Mounting plate 57: Predetermined position 58: Restriction position 6: Support member 7: Actuator 81: Restriction belt 82: Fixed point position 83: Adjustment buckle 86 : Limiting pin 87: Limiting rod 88: Rod position adjustment section 9: Side support assist mechanism

Claims (10)

The base and
a pair of armpit support parts that respectively support the left and right armpits of the person being assisted;
An assistance device comprising: a drive unit that moves the pair of side support parts at least in the vertical direction with respect to the base;
The armpit support part has a normal surface part that contacts at least the armpit and upper arm of the care recipient, and a friction reducing part that has a smaller friction coefficient than the normal surface part and contacts the side abdomen of the care recipient. having a surface portion;
Assistive devices. The side support part is
A core member,
an outer peripheral member capable of elastic deformation while covering the core member;
a normal cover member that covers the outer peripheral member and constitutes the normal surface portion;
a friction-reducing cover member that covers the outer peripheral member and constitutes the friction-reducing surface portion;
The assistance device according to claim 1, comprising: The assisting device according to claim 2, wherein the friction-reducing cover member is arranged to overlap an outer surface of the normal cover member. The assistance device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the normal cover member is synthetic leather having a relatively rough surface, and the friction reducing cover member is a synthetic resin sheet having a relatively smooth surface. . The base and
a pair of armpit support parts that respectively support the left and right armpits of the person being assisted;
An assistance device comprising: a drive unit that moves the pair of side support parts at least in the vertical direction with respect to the base;
The side support part is
A core member,
an outer peripheral member that is capable of elastic deformation while covering the core member, and in which the core member is disposed below the center;
The outer circumferential member is formed in a cylindrical shape that covers the core member, and has an upper thickness greater than a lower thickness, and
The outer peripheral member includes a first member that covers the core member and a material that is softer than the first member, and has a shape that covers the upper side of the first member but does not cover the lower side of the first member. a second member formed in;
Assistive devices. The base and
a pair of armpit support parts that respectively support the left and right armpits of the care recipient and are swingable or movable in directions toward or away from each other;
a drive unit that moves the pair of side support parts at least in the vertical direction with respect to the base;
a limiting mechanism that limits the swing range or movement range in the direction in which the pair of side support parts approach each other;
A predetermined position of the side support part is swingably supported,
The restriction mechanism is a restriction belt that connects a restriction position other than the predetermined position of the armpit support and a fixed point position provided on a member that moves integrally with the armpit support.
Assistive devices. The assistance according to claim 6 , wherein the restriction belt is slidably folded back at the fixed point position, connecting the restriction position of one of the armpit support parts and the restriction position of the other armpit support part. Device. The assistance device according to claim 6 or 7 , further comprising an adjustment buckle that adjusts the length of the restriction belt according to the physique of the person to be assisted. The base and
a pair of armpit support parts that respectively support the left and right armpits of the care recipient and are swingable or movable in directions toward or away from each other;
a drive unit that moves the pair of side support parts at least in the vertical direction with respect to the base;
a limiting mechanism that limits a swing range or movement range in a direction in which the pair of side support parts approach each other;
an adjustment unit that adjusts the swing range or the movement range limited by the restriction mechanism according to the physique of the person to be assisted;
An assistance device equipped with. Any one of claims 1 to 9 , further comprising an armpit support assist mechanism that swings or moves the pair of armpit supports in a direction toward each other in response to a downward load acting on the pair of armpit supports. Assistive devices as described in Section.

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